Help Me Gain Weight!

Dear CitySlim,

What advice might you have for those of us (male or female) who have trouble maintaining normal body weight and are too thin?

~Skinny Boy

Thank you for your question, Skinny! It is great to hear from a different perspective, as many athletes, body builders, and ordinary people blessed with super-fast metabolisms actually aspire to either maintain a normal body weight or even to “bulk up” with muscle.

There are essentially two ways to maintain a bulkier body weight or to put on weight, if you so desire. You can either add muscle mass or fat mass.

Adding fat mass does not equate to consuming excess sugars, candy bars, and “empty” calories. Greasy, junk foods can cause long-term health problems such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia through high trans and saturated fat content. Adding more body mass may be accomplished through increasing caloric intake by incorporating more healthful fats into your diet, namely mono- and polyunsaturated fats (see below). Calories should also come from healthy carbohydrates, protein, fruits, and vegetables. To gain weight, an extra 500 calories should be consumed, daily.[i] Follow these strategies below to bulk up!

· First, find out how many calories you will need to reach the weight you desire. Keep a food diary for at least one day to gauge what you are eating on a normal, daily basis. Do not change anything! Just eat like you normally would. Track calories with the USDA MyPyramid site (instructions can be found here). Then, add 500 calories to the total number of calories you usually get in a day. This is your new target caloric intake.

· Eat frequently. In addition to eating three balanced meals, incorporate healthful snacks in between, every day. Alternatively, spread calories out over 5-6 smaller meals, eaten every 2.5—3 hours. A balanced meal may consist of protein from lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds, legumes, and quinoa; healthful carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and "good" sources of fat, or unsaturated fats.

· Eat larger than normal portions at meals to increase caloric intake. You have to “eat big to get big.”

· Eat healthful sources of unsaturated fat. Olive and canola oil, nuts (such as walnuts and almonds), seeds (such as flax seed), peanut butter, and avocados provide omega-3 fatty acid, a beneficial unsaturated fat.

· Drink caloric beverages, such as fruit shakes with yogurt, milk, and natural fruit juice (not from concentrate). Avoid diet sodas, as these contain “empty calories” with little to no nutritional benefit. Protein powders and nutritional supplement drinks such as Ensure will provide more calories in between meals. Flavored protein powders may only require that you add water, while others can be blended with your choice of juice or milk to improve taste.

· Sneak in those extra calories! Healthful, nutritious grains, powders, and oils can be added to foods. Sprinkle wheat germ onto yogurt (for extra fiber), add flax seeds into breads, muffins, or salads (good source of omega-3 and other nutrients), or invest in some psyllium* powder to add to fruit juices for cholesterol-lowering fiber. *Do not take psyllium without consulting with your physician, first.

Weight can also be added through increasing protein consumption in conjunction with resistance exercise to gain muscle mass. Exercise is essential in ensuring healthful weight gain.

· Resistance training such as weight-lifting will help to increase muscle size.[ii] Resistance training can be done at a health club, gym, or at home with the proper equipment, and should be done in the place of aerobic exercises. Aerobic activities like running, using the elliptical machine, or stationary bicycling may cause weight loss by burning fat. Before beginning any form of strenuous exercise, consult with your physician.

· Eating complete proteins or taking amino supplements to ensure your nutritional requirements are being met may aid in building muscle mass. Click here for complete protein sources. CitySlim recommends eating complete proteins rather than taking supplements, when possible.

At the end of one week, weight yourself. Keep realistic expectations. A healthy weight gain should be around 1 to 2 pounds a week (or 4 to 8 pounds a month). Note: at some point you will stop seeing weight gain. “When you stop gaining weight for at least 2 weeks, you can add an extra 250 calories day. Every time you have not gained weight for at least two weeks, you can add an extra 250 calories.”[iii]

For more snack and meal ideas, check out this resource from the Student Nutrition (& Body Image) Action Committee at UCLA. http://www.snac.ucla.edu/pages/Resources/Handouts/HOWtGain.pdf.

Good luck! And be thankful for your good genes. J.

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[i] “Eating strategies to gain weight,” UCLA Resource. http://www.snac.ucla.edu/pages/Resources/Handouts/HOWtGain.pdf

[ii] About.com: Nutrition, “Weight Gain.” http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/f/GainWeight.htm

[iii] IntenseWorkout.Com. http://www.intense-workout.com/weight_gain.html